Naughty Canine Has ‘Moved On’ From Uncharted, The Final of Us Half III Is As much as the Studio

Naughty Canine is understood for a lot of franchises, most lately Uncharted and The Final of Us. Co-President Neil Druckmann lately spoke in regards to the two, noting that it had moved on from the previous, whereas leaving the door open for the latter.

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Druckmann stated that the multiplayer The Final of Us recreation is one other entry in a way because it has a brand new story and solid of characters and even known as it “one other chapter within the universe.” However as for a extra correct The Final of Us Half III, Druckmann talked about how the group had loads sway with Sony and that there wasn’t “all this strain” to make a follow-up.

“All I might say is, at Naughty Canine we’re very, very privileged that our writer is Sony — which suggests Sony funds our video games, helps us, and we’re owned by Sony,” he stated. “They’ve supported us each step of the best way to observe our passions — which means that simply because one thing is profitable, folks assume there’s all this strain and now we have to make a sequel. That’s not the case.”

He then used Uncharted for instance since Uncharted 4: A Thief’s Finish is likely one of the studio’s best-selling video games. That form of success would possibly mandate a sequel elsewhere (Lost Legacy was a stand-alone game, but started as DLC, making it slightly completely different), however that’s not the case. That is what prompted Druckmann to say that Naughty Canine was shifting on from that swashbuckling sequence.

“For us, Uncharted was insanely profitable — Uncharted 4 was one in every of our greatest promoting video games — and [we were] in a position to put our closing brushstroke on that story and say that we’re achieved,” stated Druckmann. “We’re shifting on.”

Druckmann used The Final of Us Half II to show his level. He defined that it was as much as the group whether or not or not the sequel was going to occur. This somewhat corroborates a Reddit comment he made in 2014 during Left Behind‘s launch the place he acknowledged there was a 50/50 shot that there could be extra adventures in that world. Finally, the developer got here up with a narrative it needed to inform, so it determined to go ahead.

“Likewise, with The Final of Us, it’s as much as us whether or not we wish to proceed it or not,” he stated. “Our course of is identical factor we did once we did Half II, which is that if we are able to give you a compelling story that has this common message and assertion about love — identical to the primary and second recreation did — then we’ll inform that story. If we are able to’t give you one thing, now we have a really sturdy ending with Half II and that would be the finish.”

Tales about The Final of Us Half III have popped up in a number of completely different locations. Druckmann lately stated that there was “extra story to inform” on the earth of The Final of Us. He additionally confirmed in April 2021 that he had an overview for a potential sequel, however made certain to say it was a “story that [Naughty Dog] isn’t making” although he “[hoped] someday [it] can see the sunshine of day.”

Uncharted‘s future, regardless whether it is with Naughty Canine or not, can be murky. Lead Sport Designer Robert Cogburn hinted to Kotaku in 2015 earlier than Uncharted 4‘s launch that it was most likely the group’s closing entry because it was “uninterested in answering those self same forms of questions in the identical fiction.”

Nevertheless, newer items of proof aren’t as closing and, in some cases, would possibly even level to different groups taking the reigns. A Naughty Canine recruiter said the team was scouting for expertise that would construct groups for “not solely new titles however for the legacy of Uncharted.” And whereas imprecise, one other job listing from one in every of Sony’s inside acknowledged that it was working with Naughty Canine on a “beloved franchise.” Misplaced Legacy Artistic Director Shaun Escayg additionally instructed GamesRadar that the studio loves the sequence and desires to see extra of it, noting that we should always “by no means say by no means.” Loose rumblings have pointed to a reboot, however these allegations haven’t been corroborated and nothing has been confirmed.